


I can't stand you (but please don't leave)

by GirlAtTheRockShow (cwild)



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Island - Freeform, Journalist!Clarke, Modern AU, ranger!Lexa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-15
Packaged: 2018-05-13 06:41:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5698759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cwild/pseuds/GirlAtTheRockShow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clarke works for a succesful travel agency, she is sent to the Island of Polis in order to see if the place has what it takes to become a touristic place.<br/>Lexa is a the ranger forest of Polis and is not interested in seeing her Island become flooded with tourists.</p><p>Or<br/>Lexa's a bitch and Clarke falls for her anyways.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The middle of fucking nowhere

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry for any mistakes. English is not my first language so feel free to correct me (please, please do that)

Weird, metalic noises reached her ears. She wished whoever was making them would stop, when that didn’t happen she realized she’d had to get up.

“You just can’t keep coming here without telling me first.” She said tiredly, while rubbing her eyes and making her way to the kitchen.

“Then what is my key for?” Answered Octavia, with her eyes set on the pancakes she was making.

“Emergencies, O.” The blonde said opening the fridge.

Still sleepy, the blonde waited for her breakfast sitting at the table, distracted by hearing Octavia humming.  
A part of her didn’t want to be completely awake, that meant she was conscious enough to start doing all the things she had yet to do for the day. After five years working for the same company it never got easier. She’d had to pack, again, say goodbye to her little cat, again, call her mum and listen to her complaining about her lifestyle, again.

Octavia already knew what that serious face meant, even if the blonde was silent. Of course she already knew. That face was part of a routine.

“What is it, Clarke?” She asked, tired of the silence.

After finishing her third pancake, stretching her arms on the chair and caressing Socks, that was sleeping in her lap, she lift her blue gaze to meet the deep, brown eyes of her bestfriend.

“I am supposed to take a plane in two hours.” She answered.

“So? You’re always late to the airport anyways…”

The blonde rolled his eyes.

“That’s not what I meant,” She corrected. “I just got back yesterday and I’m leaving again, sometimes I don’t know if I actually live here anymore.” She said, lowing her gaze to Socks, that was now laying on its back, leaving his fluffy belly exposed for Clarke’s hand to caress it.

This topic wasn’t new, but it seemed that Clarke wasn’t already bored by it.

“Then stop travelling.” She said, simply.

Clarke huffed, putting Socks on the floor and starting to clean the table. When she got to the sink, Octavia was already sitting on the counter next to it, looking at her phone.

“You know I can’t.” Clarke said, with her hands all wet and soapy.

“I know you won’t,” She corrected, putting her phone back in her pocket. “Sometimes i feel like you just like to complain you know? You have the coolest job ever, i mean, your boss pays you for travelling and getting on adventures” She said, excited. “I wish mine paid me for that, but no, he seems to like paying me for remembering correctly his coffee order and passing him his calls.”

Clarke chuckled. When she finished with her task she directed to her bedroom with Octavia following her.  
“I’m feeling tired lately,” She confessed, grabing a few shirts from her drawer. “Pass me that bag.” She asked, pointing at the corner of the room.

Octavia obeyed, she took the bag and emptied it, releasing a rain of sand and dirt.

“You should clean this thing, “She said leaving it in front of Clarke, who was now grabbing her bikinis and a few towels. – Where are you headed now? 

Clarke put all her clothes in the big, not minding in folding them. She grabbed her sunglasses, a few books from her bookshield, her pencilcase, a notebook, her go-pro camera and his wallet and put them all in a smaller bag. She tried to remember if she was forgetting something and of course failed. In five years travelling to one place to another she never got to pack the perfect suitcase, she’s always forgotten something.

“Some little island in the middle of nowhere.” She said, turning to see her friend.

Octavia was sprawled on Clarke’s bed with Socks on top of her, kissing her jaw with it’s pink little tongue. The blond smiled at the view and threw a pillow at her friend.

“Stop monopolyzing my cat!” She shouted, after joining them in bed.

\------

Clarke was now feeling a little tired. After a ten hour flight, and a two hour trip in a small boat she just wanted to crawl in bed and sleep for at least three days. But she had to remain awake at least until she finds the place where she would be sleeping for the following nights.

She found herself smiling when her boat was approaching the shore. Seeing dozens of colored boats of all sizes surrounding the port, floating on the impossibly clear blue water, with hills and wooden buildings in the background was indeed a beautiful view. 

The first thing she saw when she arrived to the island of Polis was wood. Almost everything was built with wood. From the port to shops, houses, everything. She knew it was a small island but the thought of it being so particular never crossed her mind.

Another thing she noted was how fucking hot the weather was. Maybe it had something to do with arriving in midday and standing in the sun while staring at the view of the village.

“You must be Clarke.” Said a deep voice from behind her.

When she turned around, she saw a big, muscled man with tanned skin and a big smile grabbing her bags. After adjusting his eyes to the bright sun she could see that he had tribal tattoos on his neck, that continued on his shoulders and disappeared below his white tank top.

“I’m Lincoln, your boss called me this morning,” He explained, and started walking towards the village. “I will show you your cabin.”

In the ten minute walk from the port to her cabin, Clarke was able to see more wooden buildings that fit perfectly in the forest landscape. Shops and cabins were surrounded by huge trees and plants that Clarke wasn’t familiarized with.

The dirt road they were following started to narrow after a few minutes and suddenly there were less buldings and more vegetation on its sides. It seemed like the road was slowly entering a denser part of the forest. 

Lincoln stopped his tracks in front of a small cabin surrounded by nothing but trees, jumped the little three-step wooden stair and landed right in front of the red door of the cabin.

Once inside, Clarke admired her home for the next weeks. Small kitchen, a fireplace, a large bed that looked comfy, a few shelves with books and little sculptures on it. modest, but nice and cozy, she thought.

She almost thanked God when she saw the ceiling fan, even if inside the cabin wasn’t as hot as outside, she knew she wouldn’t survive without an air conditioner or a fan. Lincoln must’ve noted her expression when she saw the device because he slightly chuckled.

“Not used to our climate I see,” He said and she nodded. “I hope you paid attention in our way here, the last cabin we passed was mine,” He explained, heading to the door. “Just 200 metres from here I guess, just go and find me or call me,“ He pointed a small piece of paper attached to the fridge that had a number written on it. “If you need anything.”

“Thank you, Lincoln.” She said and then yawned. 

“I left a couple of maps of the island in the desk for you, but I’m sure you should rest before taking a look at them,” He smiled again. “Join me for dinner at my home tonight so you can meet a few people that can make your job easier.” He said, starting to leave.

“I’ll be there, thank you again.” He nodded and left. 

\------

Octavia [2:11 PM] – U alive?  
Raven [4:34 PM] – I wanted 2 see u so I broke into ur apartment, bitch where r u?  
Raven [5:10 PM] – Just talked to O, said u r in the middle of nowhere. Don’t get eaten by a camel plz.  
Raven [5:11 PM] – R u even in the desert? Plz fucking answer something.  
Octavia [5:23 PM] – it’s been a few hours ok now I’m worried plz be alive you just can’t leave me on my own with Rae and Bell.  
Bellamy [5:30 PM] – Clarke, give us a proof of live or i’ll go and get you.

Clarke smiled when she read the messages, with eyes barely open she still managed to send a group text to calm them all

Clarke [5:54 PM] – I’m alive. Rae i’m not in the desert and i hope u didn’t break my lock again cause this time i’ll kill u for real. Bell, u don’t even know where I am. O, i will never leave you to put up with them, i’d probably end in murder. Thank u for ur concern i’m alive in an Island named Polis. Catch up with u later.

After taking a shower and getting dressed in a V-neck white shirt and shorts she started her walk to Lincoln’s, admiring how beautiful Polis was at sunset. Trees, bushes, and the sea touched by the orange light of the sun impressed Clarke. Suddenly she felt like painting.

Lincoln’s cabin was bigger than hers, his bedroom was separated from the living room and the kitchen. Wooden walls were covered by photographs of him as a child with different people. Clarke smiled when she noticed that his smile now was the same one he had as a kid. 

He introduced Clarke to Anya, his cousin and owner of the only cinema in the whole island, Gustus, his uncle and owner of a small hotel and a few cabins, Indra, his aunt and mayor of Polis, and Echo, his sister and one of the few vets that lived in the island.

They all seemed nice, she thought. During the meal Clarke was asked a lot of questions and found that they were really interested in what she had to say. Even Indra, who looked so fierce that almost scared her, paid attention and made her feel comfortable. 

She was able to explain the main point of her visit. What her company wanted and what her visit could provide to the island.

“I can’t say I’m not surprised,” Said Indra. “There are a lot of Islands that could use your company’s help.” She pointed.

“I don’t really have an explanation for that before my arrival,” Confessed Clarke. “I didn’t even know this place existed until a few hours ago, but in here I seem to slowly undestand my company’s interest in your island,” She took a sip of water before continuing. “Polis is gorgeous, quiet and so… wooded,” Everyone chuckled but Indra. ”I think it has the potential to become a tourist attraction and that’s something my agency can help you with.”

“So, you’ll tell your bosses that this place rocks and they’ll advertise us and we’ll become rich?” Echo said and Lincoln smiled.

“Not so easy, we’re no saints,” Clarke answered and smiled. “My job here is to provide my boss with information about the touristic attractions Polis may have, that’s all i can assure you. After that, my agency has to decide if this is a place worth investing in and i don’t know, maybe my bosses will lend you money to start building hotels and stuff, or they’ll build hotels and cabins on their own before advertising Polis, i don’t know exactly what will be there for you after my job is done here” She explained. “Besides, i’ve only been here for a few hours and most of them I spent sleeping, so I don’t really know if this place rocks as much as you think it does” Clarke said playfully and Echo and Anya laughed.

After the meal, Indra and Gustus excused themselves. It was getting late and they used to get up at first light in the morning. Clarke stayed with Lincoln, his cousin and his sister sharing a few beers.

“So, where are you going tomorrow?” Asked Echo handing Clarke another beer.

“Don’t know yet, i haven’t had the time to read much about this place” Clarke replied taking a sip of the beer.

“She should go to the waterfalls, she’d be amazed” Anya suggested while washing the dishes.

“She can’t go there by herself,” Lincoln said getting comfortable in the couch. “And you know she wouldn’t like to take Clarke anywhere.”

“Who’s she?” Asked Clarke, confused.

“Lexa, the forest ranger” Anya answered with an angry voice “That’s her fucking job she just can’t say no and get away with it.” She said to Lincoln.

“She’s proven that she can,” Echo said looking through the window “You should talk to her Linc, it’s been a week.”

A little dizzy for the three beers she had had, Clarke didn’t pay much attention to the little argument the three of them were having. She got herself distracted by paying attention to a small photo hung in one of the walls. It showed a beautiful brunette smelling a flower. She didn’t hear Lincoln standing behind her.

“That’s Lexa,” He said looking at the photo. “You’ll meet her in person tomorrow, Echo will pick you up at nine to take you to her,” He looked at Clarke. “If i were you i’d go and get some sleep, putting up with her requires crazy amounts of energy.”


	2. The unfriendly ranger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another introductory chapter, but Lexa's on it :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for any mistakes. English is not my first language so feel free to correct me (please, please do that)

**Octavia [8:14 AM] –** _Hey, bad news. I may have left bleach on a jar and Socks may have drunk all of it… We’re heading to the vet now. Try not to worry too much. I’m sorry._

**Octavia [8:15 AM] –** _Raven’s driving so maybe u should probably worry a bit._

When Clarke read that she couldn’t be anything but worried. She appreciated Octavia trying to sound cheerful but, bleach was fucking poisonous and his three-month old cat has drunk a whole jar of it. 

**Octavia [8:25 AM] –** _Vet told me to make sure Socks drinks enough water and gave me a few pills for him. Your kitten’s not out of trouble though, the vet also said I should keep an eye on him, he’s too young and he may not be able to dispose of bleach the right way… I’m so sorry, again. I’ll let you know what happens._

Clarke tried to keep bad thoughts away from her mind but she wasn’t distracted enough. Sure, walking with Echo through the woods was nice, but the girl wasn’t much of a talker. She only spoke to let Clarke know where they were. She wanted to make sure that the blonde wouldn’t got lost in her way back, even if there was a trail that showed her the way back to his cabin, she could confuse her trail with another and end up in another part of the island.

“So I was wondering…” Clarke started, avoiding a branch. ”You’re a vet aren’t you?” Echo nodded, not putting her eyes away from the forest in front of her. “So you should know what happens if a cat drinks too much bleach…”

Echo smiled amused, when she saw the cold look Clarke was giving her she tried a serious face.

“I guess that wasn’t a joke” She said looking at Clarke. “Bleach is too poisonous sometimes for a cat to process, I wouldn’t dare to say your cat won’t make it but I can’t say either it will.”

“So you just can’t say anything.” Clarke replied slightly amused and Echo allowed herself to laugh. 

The following fifteen minutes Clarke spent talking about Socks and the weird noises he made when Clarke was singing out loud. Echo found both the girl and her stories amusing, so much she almost forgot to announce themselves when she reached Lexa’s cabin. 

She didn’t have to knock. The door was opened the moment after they put her feet on the first step of the little wooden stair.

A tall, toned brunette with sharp eyes and a magnificent jaw line received them. She was in close-fitting khakis and a white loose tank top and Clarke couldn’t but stare at her muscled and tanned arms. By the way the brunette was looking at them, Clarke could see she was a tough woman.

“What an awful surprise” She said, not a glimpse of sarcasm in her tone. “I thought I had told you I didn’t want to be part of this touristic experiment” She said, looking straight at Echo.

The icy look Echo was given almost froze Clarke. 

“And I thought your job was to guard the forest and its visitors, so stop being an ass and be a good ranger” Echo replied and smiled. “Clarke would like to see the waterfalls.”

“Then Clarke can go and look at them, she can even take a picture with them” The ranger answer with a sharp tone, lowing her gaze a bit to find the bluest eyes she had ever seen.

Clarke was so lost in the sharp word exchange that she forgot she was there for a reason. She met the green gaze and the amused way she was being looked at got her angry, forgetting everything about how hot the ranger was.

“Oh I will, don’t worry Echo, I’ll find my way” She said starting to walk in the direction that the map Lincoln’d given her earlier was telling her to go.

She heard some shouts behind her but they didn’t stopped her from walking. She wanted to get to the damn waterfalls and forget the way the ranger looked at her, as if she wasn’t capable of walking thirty fucking minutes through a marked trial in a forest in the clear light of day. What was she? Stupid? No, she wasn’t. She would find the waterfalls, if they were pretty maybe draw them, write her notes and go back to her cabin. She would get this job done as quickly as she could to go back to Socks.

\------

Well maybe she was stupid. It was almost sunset and she was still in the middle of the woods. Out of water, with no signal and so tired she could sleep on the ground. 

How could she be lost? She was following the path she was supposed to. But maybe she wasn’t. All the trees looked the same and she didn’t seem to be even near to the waterfalls. Instead of worrying, she sat on a large rock and waited. Echo would go and find her after her shift in the veterinary was over.

“I guess you didn’t take a picture?” A sarcastic tone was heard behind her.

Lexa was staring at her, with her shoulder leaning on a tree and playing with a knife in her hands. She seemed so fierce Clarke thought for a moment she was being hunted.

“Guess you did as Echo commanded?” Clarke retorted as sharply.

The ranger frowned for a moment and then smiled a bit. 

“I did not, I just don’t want a corpse lying in my woods,” She said and handed Clarke a bottle of water. “Follow me, I’ll take you to your cabin” She turned not throwing another glance at Clarke.

She was already too tired to argue anymore. She drank half of the bottle Lexa had given her and the water felt like heaven. She just wanted to get a shower and go to bed and maybe text Octavia…

She suddenly remembered and stopped her tracks. Lexa noticed and turned around to find the blonde staring at the floor, with a worry all over her face.

“You okay?” She asked, angry at being forced to slow down.

“Socks…”

“Are you fucking worried about your socks? Jesus, we’ll get to your cabin and you can change” Lexa interrupted vexed at the blonde.

“What? Socks is my cat” Clarke explained looking at the brunette.

“Who in the name of God would have guessed that? Give a cat a decent name” Said the ranger in disbelief.

Clarke didn’t feel like arguing so she started walking again, making the brunette start her tracks again. She still had no signal so worry grew quickly in his belly. She didn’t feel like eating either, even though she was starving a few minutes before.

**Octavia [2:25 PM] –** _He’s doing fine, Raven’s here to take care of him while I’m at work._

**Raven [3:06 PM] –** _Sorry princess… HE FUCKING POOPED ALL OVER YOUR COUCH._

**Raven [3:56 PM] –** _He. Just. Can’t. Stop. Poopin’._

 **Raven [3:56 PM] –** _Not cleaning that. Fucking nope._

 **Octavia [8:56 PM] –** _I don’t know if I prefer him dead or pooping the fuck out of him. Jk, I love him being alive._

Clarke laughed when she got signal again, feeling relief all over her body as she read the stupid texts from her friends. She managed a quick reply and went back to the real world. The one with a ranger twenty feet ahead of her showing her the way to her cabin. When Lexa stopped her tracks, so did she.

“You can see it from here, right?” She pointed at a small shape glowing a bit in the middle of the forest. “Glad you left your lights on, it makes it easier for you not to get lost” She continued and started her way before Clarke could manage a reply.

But, what would she say? Thank you didn’t seem to fit. She showed her the way because it was her job, apart from that, she had only insulted her. No, thanking her was out of the question.

She sit on the couch after a shower and felt her bones almost melting. She was so tired. And she never reached the waterfalls. Realizing that she felt stupid and void, she had one job. She hated not accomplishing her missions. 

She tried to see the bright side of it. Her notebook was filled with drawings of plants and she had seen so much forest, her bosses will be pleased with her idea of building a complex of outdoor games. Well, maybe her day wasn’t a total waste.

\------

She was in a better mood than yesterday. Knowing his cat was a live and pooping made her smile. With the waterfall thing, she will try again, maybe with Anya.

She headed to Lincoln’s cabin after her breakfast. She didn’t bother calling him. If he wasn’t there she’d just go to the shore and see another attraction of the island.

To her surprise, Anya opened the door and let her in. She handed her a coffee before letting her say anything.

“I know that Lexa probably didn’t treat you well,” She started, by the face Clarke made, she was sure she wasn’t wrong. “I’m sorry for that, she just… she just doesn’t want you here.” 

Clarke frowned. She barely spoke to the girl, how could she hate her already? Anya must’ve guessed what she was thinking because she wasn’t slow at explaining.

“Not you, Clarke,” She said tiredly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “The company you work for, she’s not a fan of the island getting more attention”.

That enlighten Clarke a little. It happened to her before. Sometimes locals were rude to her. Some people just don’t want to see things change, she thought.

“She’ll get used to the idea” Clarke answered calmly.

“Or she will not. I’m not fond of it either, Clarke” Anya said, sharply. ”If my Island loses its spirit, if your company tries to modify my land in anyway I don’t like it, your bosses will have to run to save their asses because I’ll fucking haunt them” She said with the most serious expression Clarke had seen on her.

\------ 

The day was going smoothly. Instead of going to the waterfalls, Anya took Clarke to the town centre. The blonde took a bunch of pictures of it, its shops and its statues. The shore was only about to hundred meters away from the fanciest restaurant in the village, she could totally see in the future a five star hotel, maybe a spa, with the front facing the shore. The view was magnificent. Clear water and the sunset, making everything glow in orange tones.

\------ 

She was now standing in a huge yet cozy living room. Indra’s house was so like her. Everything was organized and serious, but Clarke found it really homely.

“Sorry I am late, some kid almost drowned in the lake,” Clarke turned to the door to see the forest ranger breathing heavily as she entered, she may have been running and her chest may have been going up and down with every breath she took and Clarke tried, but failed miserably, not to stare. “The fuck is she doing here?” She asked frowning, watching the blonde as if she was an intruder.

“Being a guest. Behave, Lexa” Indra said before taking a sip from his wine.

If that woman spoke to her like that, Clarke was sure she would cry instantly. Why did Lexa evoke that tone from everyone? She just couldn’t help being annoyingly grouchy?

“I’ll behave when she leaves.”

Suddenly, Lincoln put an arm over Lexa’s shoulders and hug her tenderly. The ranger seemed to calm down a bit and returned the hug before hitting Lincoln’s shoulder playfully. Clarke saw his kid-like smile and found herself smiling too. She realized that and quickly turned around to talk to Anya about something, anything that could keep her distracted from Lexa’s annoying presence.

A few minutes later, Indra drew the attention of the whole room by tapping a spoon against her cup of wine. 

“Thank you guests for this lovely meal” She started. Lovely wasn’t a word that suited Indra’s face nor voice, Clarke thought. ”But this gathering wasn’t for nothing, I wanted to introduce you all to Clarke Griffin” Clarke’s cheeks slightly redded as she saw the whole room staring at her. “She may be the first step to make of our good island of Polis a touristic spot, where more people would be able to enjoy this lands as much as we do” A few voices raised in that moment, cheering both Clarke and the island.

Clarke saw how everybody raised their cups and she followed.

“You couldn’t be more right, Indra” Said the brunette ranger from the corner of the room, raising her sarcastic tone for everyone to hear it. “We all have dreamt about the day this goddam island was turned into shopping centre, or maybe an amusement park, our waterfalls can be easily replaced by a Ferris wheel,” She smiled, raising her cup. “Wouldn’t that be awesome? Can’t wait to lose our history in the hands of this young lady here.” She directed her gaze to the blue one from the blonde that was now staring in disbelief at the brunette.

That wasn’t what a comfortable silence looked like. Lexa left her cup of wine with anger in the table and rushed to the door, while everyone stared at her. Just a few seconds, Lincoln followed and Clarke found herself thinking that maybe this time she wouldn’t be able to put up with angry locals so well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so thankful for the beautiful comments you left me yesterday, thank you all!  
> Let me know what you think about this one :)


	3. Something good can come from stupidity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a native English speaker, so i'm sorry for any mistake. Corrections are always welcome.

The heat of the room made her wake up, she growled when she saw her phone’s screen. It was so early. If the cabin didn’t feel like an oven she would sleep at least three more hours. But then that wasn’t an option.

She realized that after the events of the previous night she should probably feel a little nervous, but she didn’t. After Lexa’s bitter speech, Anya had escorted her to the cabin and promised to take her to some interesting places in view of Lexa being nowhere near to help her. But Anya’d never mentioned, not even once, anything about going to the waterfalls. And that bothered Clarke. 

During dinner at Indra’s, Clarke got to meet a few villagers. One thing almost every one of them told her was that for the past few months, money had been an issue for them. Less tourists every month, less sales. Clarke found out that night that Anya’s cinema had been closed for the past weeks, she wasn’t making any money from it.

All the villagers Clarke met told her that the waterfalls of Polis were something to die for. And also, they agreed on something else: she should make Lexa take her to them. After all, the brunette was the one that knew those lands better than any other villager. That wasn’t going to be any easy at all.

Clarke was nearly finishing her coffee when someone knocked the door. It was Lincoln. The muscled man was holding a pie, probably a blueberry one, Clarke guessed by the smell.

“I know it wasn’t the perfect night” he started, after making little chat about weather and how Clarke had slept. “I had a few words with her after all that, and it went well.”

“Define well.” Clarke said taking a bite of the pie. She was unsure when was the last time she had eaten such thing. It was freaking delicious.

He smiled, the blonde was no fool.

“She doesn’t regret doing that, but now she has no problem with you being in the lake or the forest” he informed. 

“Well, that’s good I suppose” she admitted. “But I really need to see those goddam waterfalls. My job here won’t be done until I see them.”

Lincoln stood up to turn on the ceiling fan and returned quickly to the table.

“That will take more time, I could take you there but she’ll probably think I betrayed her again or some shit like that,” Clarke left her mug back on the table, paying more attention to his words. “This not-showing-what-you-want-to-see thing is her way of protesting” He explained calmly.

“Betrayed her again? What are you, soldiers?” Clarke said in disbelief and Lincoln chuckled.

“Not soldiers but something like that,” He noticed Clarke’s surprised look and smiled. ”She’s my older sister and we almost grew up in the forest, of course we would play we were soldiers or imitate Rambo in our childhood” That was Clarke’s time to laugh.

She could totally picture a younger Lincoln and a little ranger playing in the woods. Echo looked lest fierce than her siblings so she kept her out of her little fantasy.

“Now I get why you two seemed close,” She said “But I would have never had guessed the devil had any siblings.” She joked and she saw a grin on Lincoln’s face.

“She’s not like that all the time” He protested. ”She can be a stubborn and annoying ass sometimes but I swear she’s cool once you get to know her,” Clarke frowned. ”Well, you probably won’t see that part of her, maybe if you dress up as a tree she’ll get fond of you.”

They laughed and joked about it for a while. It took Clarke’s mind away from her almost impossible job. But once he was gone she realized she didn’t want to waste so much time waiting for Lincoln to change Lexa’s mind. What would she do in the mean time? Visiting the nearest lakes, the forest surroundings, the centre and a few shores wouldn’t take her more than a few days. And the waterfalls were still the joy of the island.

She was being forced to slow down her job and it felt shitty. Clarke would have to tell her bosses and put up with their anxiety. When they informed her where she was heading they told her how badly they were looking forward to make business in Polis. They wouldn’t be pleased when being told that a single villager is the main cause for the wait.

She tried to keep her frustration away from her willing and decided to start working. She’d stick to Lincoln’s word only in the part of exploring parts of the island on her own. But she wasn’t keen on the idea of leaving in Lincoln’s hands her key to enter the waterfalls. She was willing to try again with the unpleasant ranger, maybe, just maybe she could make her change her mind a bit.

\------

Or maybe she couldn’t. It was her third day in the most popular lake of the island. The spot where the villagers told her the ranger was in the afternoon. And she wasn’t making any progress.

Lexa was there, guarding and playing with a few kids, like any other afternoon. She taught them how to swim and how to recognize the different species of trees. Clarke could see that kids loved her by how they hugged her and pleaded her to stay when she had to go to work somewhere else. 

Three days of seeing the brunette in spandex shorts and a sports bra wet and entertained by kids, being nothing but sweet to them. The blonde was having a hard time trying not to drool over the view.

But when she thought of how bad she was being ignored, her thoughts about the ranger darkened a little. She had tried to play along with the kids when she knew Lexa was near, but the ranger didn’t join them and just walked away from them. She said ‘hi’ and ‘goodbye’ to her whenever they accidentally passed each other, but she never heard any response from the brunette. She started to get angry, and usually while angry, the most stupid ideas flooded her mind.

\------

“You did WHAT?” Octavia shouted to her phone, making Socks jump off her lap.

“Okay I know I may have overplayed…” Clarke said apologetically while laying on her bed.

“You may have? Clarke, pretending to drown in a lake is definitely overplaying” Octavia retorted. “I knew you were kinda stupid but not that much, imagine when Bellamy hears about this.”

”He WON’T, okay? Octavia swear it” Clarke said suddenly alarmed.

“Okay I won’t tell him but, God, you did such an idiot move, really, didn’t you think that maybe she wouldn’t be the one dragging you out of the water? People call people who do that LIFEGUARDS you know? They’re always at lakes and rivers and places with water where idiots can drown themselves, no offense” Said the brunette while spotting an angry Raven walking quickly to her room. She heard the door closing loudly seconds later.

Clarke huffed and opened a Google window on her laptop.

“Yeah make fun of me, I’ve been there three times and I never saw Lincoln worked there too,” She said while typing. “He’ll make fun of me until I leave, you two would get along.”

“Correction, I will make fun of you until you _die_ ,” said the brunette approaching Raven’s room door.

She knocked twice but her friend ignored her.

On almost the other side of the world, Clarke let a heavy and frustrated sigh out of her mouth. It was the first time that Google wasn’t any help. Nobody has posted anything about how to get to Polis’s waterfalls. 

Yes, her attempt to Google it meant that she was being defeated. She had made a fool of herself a few hours ago and Lexa had seen it all. Clarke swore she saw a hint of a smirk on the brunette’s face when she was being escorted to her cabin by Lincoln. She knew the ranger was probably laughing her ass of about it. And Clarke was even more embarrassed every time she thought of it.

“I probably deserve that,” She admitted, closing roughly her laptop. “I don’t recall being so frustrated, O” She confessed getting more comfortable on the bed. “My bosses keep asking me when I’ll be back or when I’ll have interesting news and I just don’t know…”

A knock on the door disturbed her. She saw the figure of Echo enter her cabin without waiting for a response. The girl had a little smile on her face.

“Clarkey I don’t mean to be rude but some weird shit is going on with Raven here,” Octavia explained while kicking violently her friend’s door. “Please call me before you chain yourself to a tree or something, love you!” She said before hanging up.

Clarke remained silent the few minutes that Echo spent mocking her. She made a face or two but she was already tired of her stupidity being the thing.

“Okay, I’m finished,” Said Echo lowering the volume of her laughter. “Now you tell me what you were thinking.”

And Clarke explained. Once again. And it didn’t fail to sound stupid. She wanted to draw the ranger’s attention by doing something she couldn’t ignore. But she never thought that Lincoln would be the one to drag her out of the water, and that showed in her face the moment he reached her. When she felt herself being lifted by strong arms, and recognized whose those arms belonged to, she knew her plan was not going well and stopped moving and shouting to put her arms around Lincoln’s neck, giving up her attempt. And when the muscled man looked at her in disbelief she knew she had scrawled it up.

Luckily, he ignored the amused looks and the mocking of the people in the lake and brought her to the shore, explaining everyone who asked that she just had panicked. He really tried, and Clarke appreciated it, but nobody bought his lie. Every villager in Polis was then thinking that she was hot for the lifeguard because she pretended to drown to get his attention. 

“Well, at least you tried,” Echo said, getting up from the bed. “Wanna try again but with a safer approach?” She asked looking at the blonde who was still laid in bed. 

“Where?”

“It’s Friday, we may be boring village people but on Fridays we have fun by the lake,” Echo must’ve noticed Clarke’s face at the mention of the lake. “Oh c’mon, there’s food, Lincoln’s moonshine and a few local bands to keep us entertained with shitty music, it is always fun” She added. “People will mock you whenever they’ll get see you so it’s no big difference in going out today or tomorrow, this cabin won’t hide you forever.” Clarke tossed a shirt that landed on the other girl’s face and both laughed.

“I guess I don’t have a better plan.”

\------

Echo was right. The party the villagers hosted every Friday was indeed fun. Clarke took advantage of the event to meet some new faces. Of course everyone was aware of Clarke’s episode with the lake and they all had a good time reminding her about it. But she didn’t feel bad. The mocking gave her a good start to a more friendly conversation, where she could casually ask about what people thought about carrying out a few reforms in the village.

She noted that only elder people expressed their concern about a makeover of the island. Even though most of them weren’t against it, all of them were worried.  
Anya’s grandmother told her that she didn’t want to see polis turn into Disneyland, and Clarke advised her not to take her other granddaughter, Lexa, too seriously.

She was leaving her cup in a table and looking for a sandwich when the ranger appeared next to her, filling her own glass with Lincoln’s moonshine.

“Trying to talk my nana into your plans I see” She said not looking at Clarke.

But the blonde did turned to see her

“I have no plan but to do my job” She replied showing a little anger in her voice. “Now go on and mock me about the lake thing, I know you want to.”

Lexa turned slowly to face her. Her face showing no emotion.

“Mockery isn’t the product of a strong mind, Clarke” Said the brunette and Clarke rolled her eyes. “But since you insist, I thought you were desperate for my attention but I never imagined you’d go that far.”

Clarke had to focus so hard to prevent her of slapping the brunette in the face. That of course wouldn’t help her to get to the waterfalls.

“Well, it work, didn’t it?” The brunette seemed taken aback by the sudden realization. “I stopped being invisible to you, you noticed me.” The blonde added.

“I did notice you before, Clarke” Lexa answered before taking a sip of Lincoln’s moonshine. “But I don’t know how noticing you can change anything.” She made a short pause and gazed up at Clarke. “Doing crap and getting yourself hurt or kill is not going to change my mind.”

Clarke huffed. Of course, this wasn’t going to be easy at all. And the ranger being all defensive and hot made her task even harder to accomplish. Green eyes were piercing her own, and she let the heat in her lower belly to stay there for a while, after reminding her body that those eyes belonged to a jerk that was making her job impossible. A hot jerk, of course.

“I’m not after changing your mind, I don’t really care what you could possibly think of me,” She said sharply. “But I need something that involves you, and I’ll have to be around you until I get it and you’ll have to put up with me, either you like it or you don’t, I’m not leaving” She stated.

She could feel Echo’s and Lincoln’s gazes directed to her from somewhere near the lake. Her voice had raised a bit and probably her argument was getting more attention than she wanted.

“In fact, I don’t,” Replied the brunette, lowering her voice. “I don’t have to put up with you.”

This woman was impossible, Clarke thought for a moment until something came to mind.

“Yeah, probably you don’t” She gained a confused look from Lexa. “I’ll stick to Echo’s agenda, she can show me those waterfalls whenever she gets a free day from work,“ She lied. ”She told me that when you played Rambo as kids she got everywhere in the island faster than you.” She lied even more.

“That’s not fucking true!” Lexa almost roared. “Do you really think my sister can beat me at that? Don’t be any more ridiculous than you already are” She finished, rolling her eyes.

“I’m not the ridiculous one here. You can’t prove anything to me by behaving that way.”

Clarke heard the brunette swallowing loudly. It was the time when Lexa realized that the blonde didn’t have a solid point. She was just messing with her. Sassing her. And the brunette found it so sexy yet so annoying. In the depth of her mind she knew it was the wrong thing to do but she gave in.

“Tomorrow, seven AM at my cabin, bring repellent and don’t you dare say anything else, just leave, _now_ ” The edge in her voice was almost palpable.

The brunette turned around quickly, heading to anywhere in the party where Clarke could be out of her sight. She just wanted to hide her blushed cheeks and try to make the image of Clarke smiling disappear.


	4. Lusting over a nerd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mandor's waterfalls are real and located in Perú. Google the place up if you don't want to miss its beauty :)

Clarke heard Lexa huffing again, the tenth time in the last two hours. She could tell by that gesture that the brunette hated being slowed down. 

The ranger conceded her partner another five minute break, after drinking some water, she started stretching using a tree for support.

Seven AM was so early for Clarke, only having walked through the dense forest for an hour did she realized that Lexa’s toned legs were showing. She was wearing spandex shorts again, and a white tank top that left so little to the imagination. Tanned, strong arms and shoulders were exposed and when Clarke wasn’t busy taking pictures of her surroundings, she was drinking in the sight of the body in front of her.

Of course she knew that was wrong. She wasn’t there to make friends less alone to hook up with the only person that hated her in the island. But only admiring the other girl’s hotness wouldn’t hurt anybody.

“You just can’t stop and do nothing for a bit, can you?” Clarke said lightly upset, while trying to catch her breath. 

Everywhere they stopped, Lexa would found something to do. Climbing a tree to check the forest from above, collecting papers and trash that didn’t belong to the place, anything was good enough for her in order to show that Clarke was being lazy.

But the little anger she felt was put aside for a moment, the blonde was staring right at Lexa’s abs being stretched and she stopped minding about getting caught. The view was too marvelous to miss it.

“You just can’t stop lusting over me, can you?” Lexa replied with a smirk of superiority and started stretching her legs by going down with her hands to touch the floor, giving her back to Clarke.

“You’re doing it on purpose!” The blonde stated with her eyes wide open and a shocked expression, after gulping loudly.

Lexa didn’t reply, she just turned around to give Clarke a little smile and started following the narrow path again.

“Just half an hour and we’ll get to Mandor’s waterfalls.” She said without looking back.

A few minutes ahead, the vegetation started to slowly change. The air felt humid and the colors of the plants were brighter, Clarke spotted a lot of butterflies during that part of the walk and tried to capture their beauty with her camera.

When she was able to hear the sound of water crashing against rocks, Lexa began speaking. Not with her usual sassy tone. She was being nice and Clarke found that more amazing that the hundred species of butterflies she had just seen.

And the blonde found herself thinking that when Lexa wasn’t being a total ass, she was quite entertaining. She described for Clarke the new plants and trees that appeared on their way. Clarke learnt that Siberian Iris was the name of the blue flower she had been taking photos of, that it could only be found alongside bodies of water such as steams and waterfalls, and that this flower was the main reason which there were so many butterflies and hummingbirds flying around, the plant drew its attention more than any other.

Until that moment, Clarke wasn’t a fan of butterflies, but when Lexa pointed at one, telling her their name and what its color meant to different cultures, she found those insects amazing. Same happened with fishes. The small lake that formed below the waterfalls had such a clear water that Clarke could see the bottom of it. And her surprised face showed how amazed she was by the sight of fishes. There were so many, so different and so colorful. And Lexa knew everything about them, and of course, she wasted no time in letting Clarke be aware of it.

“…And this little buddy here is also on the verge of extinction” The brunette informed, pointing at a small orange fish.  
Clarke already had three pages of notes taken and around a hundred photograps of different aspects of the lake. She was mesmerized by the view. That place had something that made her speechless and feeling overjoyed.

And Lexa found herself taking advantage of Clarke’s distraction to look at her properly. The brunette found the face that Clarke made when she was concentrated impossibly cute. She only stopped staring when she heard something falling in the water and a little gasp coming from Clarke.

The blonde slowly turned around to find a confused ranger staring at the water.

“Was that your phone?” She asked, amused.

“Yup,” Clarke said, still a bit shocked. The brunette started laughing. “Lexa, it isn’t funny!” She said, failing at keeping a serious face. “I was trying to take a picture to send Octavia later.” She explained smiling a little embarrassed. “I’ll have to make Lincoln text her to let her now I’m not dead nor kidnapped.”

It felt so good to see the range’s laugh, and felt even better to think that she was the one causing it. She didn’t want to take her eyes away from the brunette. 

“Yeah, do that,” Lexa said wiping away the small tears that had formed in her eyes. “Make him explain to her that you just contaminated one of the purest lakes in the world,” Clarke frowned. “Plastic takes 450 years to biodegrade…” She explained.

“God you’re such a nerd” Clarke said, grinning. “I guess I did, I can’t see where it is now, seems pretty deep and I can only see rocks and seaweed from here.” She said searching for her phone, looking at the bottom at the lake.

“Leave it there, fishes here aren’t that big to try to eat it, so I don’t think it will damage the ecosystem that much.”

“How do you know so much about everything?” Clarke asked really intrigued, giving up on trying to find her phone.

When she turned around again, she found Lexa with a blue butterfly perched on her index finger.

“I have a degree in biology” She answered almost in a whisper, trying not to scare the butterfly away. “Disappointed uh? I’m not as savage as you thought I was.”

Clarke rolled her eyes. Normal Lexa was back apparently.

“Where did you study? I thought you hated everything to do with cities.” She said, avoiding the incitement. 

Lexa was trying to sit on the rock behind her. Her movements were so slow and calculated that the butterfly perched on her finger didn’t seem to notice she was being moved.

“Sidney.” Lexa wasn’t taking her eyes away from the insect. “And I don’t hate cities, I just really love it here.” She answered calmly.

“I think I really love it here too.” Clarke said, staring at the blue butterfly in Lexa’s right hand.

“Then you shouldn’t be working so hard to destroy this place.” The brunette said, gazing up at Clarke.

The blonde took offense and turned around in a quick movement, scaring the butterfly away. She started walking towards the tree in which she had placed her bag.

“You don’t say anything because deep down you know I’m right” Lexa said raising her voice for Clarke to hear it.

“I don’t say anything because I’m tired of arguing with you.” She answered a little tense. “When you’re not being a total ass you’re quite cool to hang out with, but you seem to enjoy being rude to me.”

“I’m sorry you think that way of me, Clarke,” The brunette started softening her voice. “It’s nothing personal, I’m not trying to be friends nor enemies with you,” Clarke turned to see her, the ranger’s expressions was as calmed as her voice. “I just want to protect this place from being shattered, and you just happen to be in the middle of it.”

The brunette slightly tensed when she realized Clarke was getting closer to her.

“You can talk to me, God, Lexa I don’t want this place shattered either, but everyone in this island supports the idea of a little reform,” Clarke said moving her hands impatiently. “You’re going against your people with this shitty attitude.” She finished, lowering her voice as she heard the birds above her starting to get altered by the sudden noise. “You can’t fight against everyone, join us and tell me about this place, about its weaknesses, its strong points, we can make something good out of it.” 

She could tell by the brunette’s face that a struggle was going on inside her head. Lexa wasn’t looking at her. Or maybe she was, but her eyes were blank, emotionless for a moment. She saw how the ranger stiffed her back and clenched her fists.

“I can’t do that.” She said almost in a whisper.

It was Clarke’s turn to clench her fists. She closed her eyes, holding back angry tears. She wasn’t used to deal with such stubbornness, obstinacy. And she didn’t know how to handle that. She felt so powerless. She really didn’t want to go back to normal, sassy, distant Lexa. 

“Take me to my cabin, please.” Clarke said, picking up her bag from the ground and getting ready to leave.

Lexa heard the disappointment in Clarke’s voice and felt a knot starting to form in her stomach, and it didn’t leave her in the two hours of silent walk that took them to get to the blonde’s cabin. Deep down, she knew her decision was for the best.

\------ 

“I punched my boss in the face” Raven said breaking the uncomfortable silence between her and Octavia, who was sitting next to her on the couch, with her gaze locked in the TV screen in front of her.

“Why?” 

“I was tired of him staring at my ass and commenting about it out loud” Raven confessed, turning to watch her roommate’s profile. “He fired me.” 

“Shame, you do have a nice ass” Octavia didn’t take her eyes away from the screen. “Clarke’s TV so ridiculously big, I’m sorry I can’t look at you Rae, I’m being absorbed by it, what was your point again?” 

“That I no longer have a job, you dumbass.” Raven said, unnerved by Octavia’s lack of seriousness.

“So you’re broke?” the other girl questioned, turning to face Raven. “You can live off Clarke, I always eat all of her food when she’s away, she never notices.”

“Not broke, yet” Said Raven without paying attention to her friend’s suggestion. “I’ve been saving some money for the past few months.”

 

Octavia smacked her in the shoulder.

“That’s why I was the one that had to pay for all of our take outs?” She said, offended.

“Don’t change the subject just yet,” Raven asked. “I wanted to take a sabbatical from work.” Octavia’s face was changed into a surprised one. “I guess I now have the free time I wanted, and it would be a shame to waste it working…”

“I know that face,” warned Octavia. “You have a stupid yet fun idea going on in your head don’t you?” The other girl nodded. “Tell me all about it.”

“Go check if your passport is up-to-date first, and…” She saw her friend’s eyes starting to brighten. “Which island did Clarke said she was in?”

\------ 

Clarke’s plan to rest as soon as she got to her cabin was altered. Lincoln and Echo invited themselves for dinner, ignoring the blonde’s attempts to reschedule their meeting for another occasion. After seeing Lincoln putting beers on the fridge and Echo starting to open pizza boxes she gave up. She could use that time to ask Lincoln to text Octavia.

Echo was half way through telling how she found out that Lincoln’s dog had eaten a coin when the girl noticed that Clarke wasn’t listening. She was there, of course, with her legs placed lazily on Lincoln’s lap, but the vet could tell that her mind was wondering far away from the cabin they were into.

“What is it now?” She said, bringing Clarke back to reality. “We can almost hear your thoughts worrying over something.” Lincoln nodded in agreement.

Clarke found that she wasn’t comfortable anymore and changed her position, sitting properly in the couch without intruding Lincoln’s personal space.

“It’s nothing, probably” She sighed. ”I emailed my boss with the all the info I gathered and he emailed me back,” She took a pause, Lincoln gestured for her to keep going. “He seemed pretty interested in the waterfalls and mentioned something about building a water park…”

“Go to the main point, Clarke.” Echo interrupted.

“If that is to happen, I’ll have to talk with the people in charge of the land.”

“That means…” Lincoln added.

“Indra and Lexa, and I don’t think your aunt will give me much trouble, but your sister… I doubt she’ll be easy on this, it took me almost a week to convince her of showing me the waterfalls, she’ll probably try to kill me in my sleep when she finds out that a water park is being planned to be built there.” Said Clarke, returning her slice of pizza back in the box, she didn’t feel like eating anymore.

“She’ll have to give up,” Lincoln said rubbing the blonde’s shoulder tenderly. “I’ll call a council meeting to discuss about it, and we’ll vote and she’ll lose, of course that will mean I’ll receive her silent treatment again but it’s okay, I’m a tough man I can handle it.” He joked, showing off his biceps.

Clarke managed to smile. She appreciated Lincoln’s support, and Echo’s as well. But there was something they couldn’t help her with, a tiny knot in her belly that wasn’t going to go away, even if her job was on the right track. Something didn’t feel right.

“Silent treatment?” Clarke asked, interested.

“A week before your arrival I told her I was looking forward this thing,” He explained, opening another beer. “She told me I was a traitor,” The siblings chuckled at the choice of words. “Yeah, she’s too dramatic sometimes, and well, after that she didn’t spoke to me until we had dinner with you at Indra’s.” He finished.

Clarke laughed along with them. But found herself thinking how much she liked Lexa’s determination. Well, not only Lexa’s, she comforted herself, everyone’s determination. A person who fights for a cause is always hot, even though they can become fanatic and annoying.

When her newest friends left, she cleaned the mess and prepared herself some coffee. She wasn’t sleepy anymore, beers and laughs had given her enough energy to start working in the boring part of her job. She’d have to write down a proposal for Indra, in which her bosses’s plans for the island should be explained.

She opened her laptop and started to write, trying not to distract herself from picturing the faces and frowns she knew Lexa would do when being informed about the water park plan, the five hotel star, the spa, the little shopping centre… She tried to keep her out of her mind as much as she could, but it wasn’t enough.

\------ 

Clarke was on her way to see Anya when she heard someone running behind her. Lincoln was by her side before she could turn around.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me she was so hot” He asked trying to catch his breath.

“Did I miss a conversation somewhere?” Clarke asked trying to avoid thinking her friend has just gone crazy.

“Octavia, the friend you asked me send a text to when your phone went for a swim?” Clarke nodded, encouraging him to keep going. “If I knew she was this hot I’d continue to text her about, I don’t know, _anything_.” He said grinning.

“But how the fuck do you know…” That’s when she saw them.

Octavia was waving at her like crazy from the port, only about fifty meters away from where the blonde was standing. A moment later Raven was waving and shouting at her as well, dropping a large amount of bags on the floor.

“Oh God, no.” Clarke said in disbelief as they friends approached her while Lincoln was showing off his strength by lifting all of Octavia’s bags, gaining the brunette’s attention.

“I’m taking these to your cabin.” He said to Clarke before disappearing

Octavia hugged her and Raven smacked her playfully on the shoulder as a greeting. Clarke could tell her friends were happy but also tired, dark bags were showing under Rae’s eyes.

“The fuck are you doing here?” She asked, grinning surprised.

“Raven got fired…” Octavia started

“Hey!” Raven protested.

“What?” Clarke asked.

“Let me finish!” The two of them were silent. “She got fired for being a decent woman and talked me into taking a free days off my work to accompany her to waste all of the money she had saved for years.” Octavia explained quickly, taking a look at her surroundings. “This place is gorgeous, Clarke, can’t believe you didn’t suggest it for our holidays.”

“Now, apart from being unemployed you made me sound like a spender, thanks O” Said Raven rolling her eyes.

“You’re welcome,” Replied Octavia ignoring her friend’s sarcasm. “So… Who’s the hottie? And where’s that annoying ranger you wouldn’t shut up about? In which lake is your phone taking a bath…?”

Clarke started walking half way through her bestfriend’s shower of questions. She knew she wouldn’t shut up for at least a few minutes, and she tried to block the sound of her voice while she was taking them to her cabin. Her talk with Anya should wait, and her plans for the following days would have to be modified due to her friends’s presence.

Somehow Clarke found that interesting and terrifying at the same time.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think!


End file.
